The Stand-In is a delightful, refreshing and heartwarming read. Lily Chu presents lovely characters who are so relatable, earnest and human. Set in the city of Toronto, Gracie's life turns upside down when she's mistaken for a famous movie star. With impending responsibilities, financial burdens and dormant dreams, this is the last thing she needed. But what if the movie star asks her to be her stand-in? A life-changing opportunity with a reward she could only dream awaits her. Realistic premises of anxiety, depression and the price of fame are voiced. The dialogues are well written, and Sam and Gracie's chemistry is a well-done slow burn. Some elements are pretty cliché, but I didn't mind it as it flowed well. The final plot twist was something I didn't see coming, and it was a good layer to add to this strong plot.
I look forward to reading more of Lily Chu's work. A 4-star read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for this opportunity. This honest review is left voluntarily.

imagine “the princess switch” movies that focuses more on the “royal” side of the story. the three main characters were equally well-written and even with their flaws, they were easy to relate to. but anjali, gracie’s best friend, didn’t fit in to me. she seemed too pushy and assertive…which combined with gracie’s organized and (initially) introverted mannerisms just did not sit right. having said that, she is still able to offer gracie advice at her lowest points.

this novel certainly packed a punch of action from page one! however, despite this being a fast-paced novel, i felt like sam and gracie fell into the same conflicts over and over… like on a loop. i think certain instances could have been left out without tearing a hole into the plot. this novel reads like a telenovela and i was certainly taken by surprise towards the end! “the stand-in” is full of adventure, mishaps, and the friendship between sam, fangli, and gracie. i adorned the dynamics between this trio, although, i will add that i wasn’t too big of a fan of how poorly sam treated gracie when they were first introduced. it definitely took a long time for the ice to be broken

The Stand-In is a charmingly sweet romance novel from an up and coming Canadian author.

Beautiful #ownvoices Chinese and mixed rep, set in Toronto, with deep dives into mental health, identity, misogyny, intergenerational trauma, and so many more REAL and important subjects.

Not perfect, but just right for a quick poolside or beach read this summer.

Thank you to @sourcebooks and @netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my fair and honest review.

About this book, I'm not sure what to say. I didn't dislike it, but I also didn't particularly like it. Although it was a passable light read. I don't believe there is anything that sets this book apart from the competition, it failed to stand out and I don't think I'll remember anything after a week; once again nothing significant happened. Although the book discusses issues like burnout and mental illness, I don't think these themes were well researched or depicted, and neither did they do justice to the seriousness of the issue. Nothing about the characters caused me to root for them, the plot was highly predictable, and at the book's conclusion, I was left unsatisfied.

Crazy Rich Asians meets The Princess Switch in this new rom com from Lily Chu that I really loved reading. It is a great mix of light banter and serious conversations about mental health and dementia. A regular, planner obsessed woman is fired from her job after being photographed and mistaken for an actor - and they do look uncannily alike. So the actress makes her a deal, she works as a stand in for her at events when she isn't up to attending.

There is a good conversation around depression and anxiety in this book, especially rooted in the Asian culture. The romance is amazing hate to love between the actress' best friend and costar, and the stand in. The two women couldn't be more opposite, but our hero just can't resist Gracie and her quirks. I also so loved the obsession Gracie has with planners and bullet journals to organize her life and the struggle to find the perfect one - I felt SO seen!

Overall a solid romance with an adorable, cartoon cover - but one that I will likely forget quickly and move on from. It didn't burrow itself into my brain and demand that I reread it sometime in the future. And that's okay, I had a great time reading it and have no regrets.

**Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review**

Imagine you’re at a coffee shop, someone takes your photo thinking you’re a famous actress. Then said famous actress asks you to be her stand-in? What would you say?

The Stand-In is such a cute read. It was quick, funny, Gracie is relatable and entertaining.

I personally didn’t think the twist was super necessary, I thought the rest of the plot was enough on its own.

Overall, The Stand-In is a quick, fun read (also set in Toronto which I love), definitely recommend!

Début novels can be a bit of a gamble, but I’m glad to report that Lily Chu’s The Stand-In is a risk worth taking.

Gracie Reed is the biracial daughter of a white Canadian man and a Chinese mother now struggling with dementia. First, her boss sexually harasses and then fires her. Next, a paparazzo mistakes her for Chinese megastar Wei Fangli, who is in Toronto to star in a play. It’s shock after shock when Fangli herself approaches Gracie with a proposition: impersonate the burned-out Fangli at PR events for a six-figure sum. Hesitant at first, Gracie decides to accept the offer, not just for the money (which she needs to pay for her mother’s dementia care), but for the experiences and the chance to feel significant for once. Unfortunately, Fangli’s best friend and co-star Sam Yao thinks this is a terrible idea. Also unfortunately, he’s the most attractive person Gracie has ever seen.

I most connected with Gracie in her realistic flaws. She has depression-related unproductivity and procrastination, and she freezes when confronted by her harassing boss. I liked that her masquerade as Fangli facilitates a personal journey. I genuinely felt the detail of Gracie having stopped wearing perfume because of her boss’s sexual harassment, and feeling the joy of being able to wear it again as Fangli (and that’s speaking as someone who is allergic to perfume!). Gracie has been shrunk down by forces outside herself, and acting as Fangli empowers her to be looked at in safety. I also really liked Fangli, and how her need for a stand-in is developed into its own personal mental health journey. Sam is a bit of a stock-in-trade hero in his temperament, angry at first and then gradually falling for Gracie. On the other hand, a man who is ethnically Chinese, Chinese by citizenship and panty-meltingly hot is representation I’ll need to see a LOT more of before I start calling it a cliché. He’s better developed than most actor protagonists, too – such a talented performer that Gracie can’t trust that his attraction to her is authentic.

The depiction of ‘life of the rich and famous” is strong and nuanced here, going beyond “oh, there are paparazzi’ to include things like gallery openings, a Chanel fashion show, and a film premiere. Fangli talks about how she doesn’t like to drink in case it makes her lose control, but how she always accepts and is photographed with alcohol because the product endorsement opportunities are too good to rule herself out of. (Can you tell I really liked Fangli?)

I do wish that the author had trusted herself a little more – that her writing is good enough, and her characters are strong enough, for her not to need to make use of some clichés of the genre. Gracie doesn’t need her moments of klutz, nor the ‘comical’ disasters which strike (like a fallen towel in front of Sam, or Spanx rolling down on her during a movie premiere). A foreign-language conversation that Gracie only hears parts of and jumps to a conclusion about? Not necessary! The Gracie the author has created – managing anxiety and depression, as well as what looks a lot like ADHD – has plenty of internal reasons for her struggles. The book is at its best when those reasons, not well-trodden plot devices, drive the events. There is a plot ‘twist’ I saw coming a long way off, but it’s so strongly connected to the original premise that Gracie can pass for Fangli that I didn’t mind too much.

I also wish this story had gone to at least warm instead of just subtle in terms of the love scenes because the lower heat level feels like a mismatch for the intensity of Sam and Gracie’s attraction.

None of these issues, however, are unfixable. What I loved about Chu’s book was what is hardest to teach, and I look forward to reading more of her work, which I hope will be just as strong or even better!

Thank you to NetGalley and Lily Chu for this ARC of The Stand In! I was immediately pulled in by the major parent trap vibes! Gracie was going out to public events in place of the very famous actress, and her doppelgänger, Wei Fangli. Gracie was trying her best while also trying not to get distracted by the incredibly handsome and grumpy Sam Yao. I couldn’t put this book down! I finished it in one afternoon! Is it a predictable story, yea, but that’s what I loved and what I needed!

The Stand-In Review

This book was definitely interesting! I do want to get in on the organizational tricks used in the book, and I am low-key bummed its not read LOL.

Read for:
- Diverse romance
- Glamour
- Forbidden- esq romance
- Mental Heath Discussion
- Individual Character Growth
- Family Drama

The plot to this book was pretty unique and I did really enjoy it! It took a chapter or two for me to get into it but in the end it was so worth it! The romance was sweet and my only real comment was that Gracie’s self-doubt in the relationship almost seemed like too much, but then again it was super realistic I think so take it how you will lol. I did enjoy seeing Gracie grow into herself and stand up for herself. throughout the book, it was super great to see it all take place.

Overall I would recommend this book!

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the opportunity to review! All thoughts are my own.

tw: sexual harassment; ailing parent; parent abandonment; Alzheimers; controlling parent; cancer; death of a parent (off page); racism; depression; anxiety

I ended up listening to the audiobook of The Stand-In and it was a cute story. It has a Hallmark movie formula to it and it very predictable and cheesy but a cute story. If your looking for a quick cute read then this will do the trick.

I almost didn’t finish this book because the sexual harassment angle at the heroine’s job was so bad that I viscerally felt her anxiety and stress.

But I AM SO GLAD I POWERED THROUGH. Gracie Reed has quite possibly the worst fall from…grace…that I’ve seen as a setup for her inciting incidents and I felt SO bad for her.

However, she finds herself in a doppelgänger fantasy when Chinese superstar Wei Fangli enlists her to pose as her stand-in so that Fangli can get some rest. This comes with strings attached, including forced proximity to the prickly and gorgeous Sam Yao, who seems to think Gracie is a gold digger and out to ruin Fangli’s life.

Of course, romance reasons dictate that these two guarded folk fall for one another and there is an additional series of surprises in store for both.

I ended up falling in love with this book and I’m thrilled to see what else Lily Chu has to offer in her next release.

Meet Gracie Reed. Obsessively organized, thanks to her LifeX planner, but working in a job where her boss, Todd, cannot keep his hands to himself. Gracie decides to take a "mental health day" and goes to her favorite coffee shop for a muffin. She immediately becomes a person of interest to the paparazzi and is photographed and those photos are pasted allover social media. It turns out, Gracie looks exactly like Wei Fungli, a Chinese actress, who is in Toronto to star in a stage play with her hunky co-star, Sam Yao, stage actor, action movie hero. Todd, her boss, sees the pictures and fires her, in reality, to get back at her for rebuffing his advances, but he says it's because of the pictures. As Gracie is trying to figure out what to do, a black SUV pulls up beside her and inside is Wei Fungli and Sam Yao with a proposition for her; Wei Fungli is burned out and, since Gracie looks so much like her, she wants Gracie to be her body double for public appearances with Sam. She will be well compensated for her time and she needs to tell no one about the proposition.

Gracie's mom is in a nursing home and Gracie wants, more than anything to get her mom into a deluxe nursing home so she needs the money. Gracie agrees. This plunges her into a life she has only read about in books and gossip columns. Gracie is moved into a luxury hotel and given a crash course in all things Fungli. I do mean all things...Gracie must dress like her, move like her, talk like her and be seen with Sam, who Gracie thinks is the most arrogant jerk she has ever had to spend time with. But she keeps thinking about her mother and what the money will bring and she continues with the charade.

As she gets to know Fungli on a deeper level, she becomes quite fond of her and Fungli becomes fond of Gracie and shares that she is really depressed and cannot face life in the public eye anymore. Gracie is also falling for Sam. She has seen his "human' side and she cannot help but to fall for him and also Sam is falling for her.

As Gracie and Sam and Fungli navigate the waters of their personal lives and find that they all need each other, Sam admits his love for Gracie and Fungli gets the therapy she needs. There is a twist to the story, which makes the ending so beautiful!

Thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for the gifted copy.

This was a cute story. I loved the push and pull of the character relations and the character development itself was also good.

I have to say, the cover for this book has been one of my favorites for the year so far.

I seriously loved this book. Gracie Reed never sought out fame, in fact she tried to turn it down!
But when trying to get her mom into a better nursing home and dealing with a horrible boss, she is offered to be a stand in for a famous Chinese actress who she looks very much like. For the sake of her mom she is now thrown into the spotlight there is just one little problem; Fangli's co-star and best friend who is also in on the deal is very attractive and also shows a great distaste for her.

I love this book because it brought up cultural differences and showed respect for those differences while adding Rom-Com elements all with an underlining message of family. Dealing with a loved one with Alzheimer's is not easy in fact it wears at every part of you; and I feel like this book did a great job of showing that. Gracie loves her mom and is doing everything in her power and then some to try and give her the best care possible even at the cost of her own life. This kind of duty that is reflected in a lot in different cultures was beautifully reflected in this story.

To me Gracie is an honest reflection of someone who is struggling to get by and create an identity for herself while dealing with the hand she has been dealt. She never played the woah is me my life is horrible card, but instead tried to figure her way through things even when she had no idea what to do and needed a little push from those around her.
That to me what the best reflection of a character I have seen in a long time.

Don't get me wrong I LOVED the ROM-COM portion of it but this book hits so many themes that hit home with me I wish there was more

A fun little read. I enjoyed the fact that it was set in Toronto and I could recognize some of the places the characters went. The story itself isn't really anything new, but there was a bit of a twist at the end that I thought elevated the story overall. I could well imagine this as a movie or short tv series. A relatively light, fluffy, and quick read. I will definitely check out more books by the author.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC

This was an enjoyable read. I can easily see it on the screen as a rom com. Gracie was a whole mess and all over the place but that felt realistic as a human being lol. There were times where i wanted to shake her for overreacting, especially when it came to Sam but who among us have not over-reacted, especially when in situations that make us anxious.

Sam...Sam...I wasn't sold on him at first because him making that comment about Gracie being a real Chinese had me going oh no sir we are not happy with you! But at least Gracie called him out on it.

I liked how the Eppy app was used throughout. It was a great device to show Gracie getting her stuff together. And her journey with it felt pretty believable.

While i wasn't swooning all over the romance, could be cuz i'm still side eyeing Sam a bit, it was cute!

I would definitely want to try other books by this author.

I was excited that I got this book from Netgalley. However, I went on vacation and it was archived before I got the chance to download and listen to it. But, I really, really want to read it so I purchased it on Kindle. and it was worth it!

The story is your typical rom-com where you thought, you kinda knew how it's gonna go, but I loved the flow and the twist that made it a really fun read for me. I like how the author subtlety discussed a toxic work environment, depression & anxiety, Alzheimer's & family issues. I liked all the characters and how they development in the end. This is a must-read for everyone. The book cover is pretty, the story is sweet but with a lot of heart in it and I love how there are more and more Asian representation books that are coming out now. I will be purchasing the physical copy soon and I can't wait to read more from this author .

This book was an utter delight. A milkshake of a book for the heat of summer. I loved all the characters and just wanted the best for them. Was it a little predictable? Yes. Realistic? No. Did that matter? Not at all. The perfect book for summer!

Gracie Reed is leading perfectly fine life. Although things aren't always going her way, she is mostly living her ordinary life. Until she is approved by famous Chinese actors Wei Fangli and Sam Yao.

Gracie shares an uncanny resemblance to Wei and Gracie is asked to be her stand-in. Gracie's world is turned upside down and suddenly she is thrown into situations that she has never dreamed of. Gracie is also forced to attend events with Sam, someone that she finds extremely frustrating while at the same time devastatingly attractive.

I loved this book! Not quite enemies to lovers, and a unique enough story line that pulled me in. Loved all the characters too!

I really enjoyed this book. Though it was not a very unique concept, it was refreshing and I found the main character very relatable. It's definitely something I can see myself rereading time and time again!